ARMONK, N.Y. and PORTLAND, Ore., Feb.
22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) and the
Avamere Family of Companies (Avamere Health Services, Infinity
Rehab, Signature Hospice, Home Health, Home Care) today announced a
six-month research study that will apply the power of IBM cognitive
computing to help caregivers improve eldercare at senior living and
health centers. By analyzing data streaming from sensors in senior
living facilities, Avamere hopes to gain insights into physical and
environmental conditions, and obtain deeper learnings into the
factors that affect 30-day hospital readmission rates in
patients.
Avamere is working with IBM researchers to monitor movement, air
quality, gait analysis, factors that could lead to fall risk, and
daily activities, including personal hygiene, sleeping patterns,
incontinence and trips to the bathroom. IBM will then leverage its
cognitive computing to analyze this streaming sensor data to help
Avamere create and maintain a contextual understanding of its
residents.
"By combining IBM's expertise in Cognitive Eldercare with
Avamere's intimate knowledge of patients in the post-acute setting,
we can gain insights that may help transform the way individuals
age in place," said Dr. Ruoyi Zhou, Director of Accessibility
Research at IBM. "Helping Avamere uncover new insights can help
family members, caregivers, nurses and physicians identify
potential risks and better prescribe care to minimize hospital
readmission."
According to the United States Census Bureau, by 2020 there will
be more people aged 65 and older than there will be children under
5, and this increase of older adults and their dynamic healthcare
needs will require more intelligent solutions. Given the
accelerating changes in demographics and healthcare, this project
is designed to provide the Avamere Family of Companies with new
insights that could help reduce hospital readmission.
"Smarter care management and creative population health
solutions are necessary to meet the ever-evolving needs of our
seniors," says John W. Morgan, CEO
Avamere Family of Companies. "Avamere has never shied away from
taking on difficult problems. We successfully developed and
initiated advance care management models and became a leader in
value-based payment reform through the Center for (CMS) Medicare's
Bundled Payments for Care Improvement pilot program. Collaborating
with IBM Research for this project is the next step in how Avamere
will deliver patient-centered quality care and outcomes through
smart senior living settings."
Infinity Rehab, which provides physical, occupational and speech
therapy to Avamere patients and residents, has already taken steps
to integrate data collection and analysis into existing modalities
to standardize therapies across the entire company. By integrating
additional data sources, such as sensors, Infinity Rehab and
Avamere hope to improve patient outcomes, increase efficiencies,
and reduce cost to payers.
Mike Billings, President of
Infinity Rehab, is eager to see how therapists will use the
information gleaned from the Cognitive Eldercare solution to
enhance patient care. "Managing patient outcomes and clinical
utilization is a major focus for us as our industry transitions
from performance-based care to value-based care. IBM will help us
collect and analyze information that was previously inaccessible to
our clinicians. We can then plug that info into our individualized
care plans and create approaches to patient health that is both
comprehensive and prognostic."
About the Avamere Family of Companies
Founded in 1995 and based in Wilsonville, Oregon, the Avamere Family of
Companies began as a single nursing facility in Hillsboro, Oregon. Today, the Avamere Family
operates nearly 50 Independent Living, Assisted Living,
Transitional Care and Skilled Nursing facilities, and includes
multiple ancillary healthcare companies that provide services
including inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, home care, home
health, hospice, palliative care, and primary care. For more
information, please visit www.avamere.com.
For media
inquiries:
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Avamere Family of
Companies
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IBM
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Drew
Hanson
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Tim Powers
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971-224-2831
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773-750-7030
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DHanson@avamere.com
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tjpowers@us.ibm.com
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SOURCE IBM Corporation